well, it’s that time of the year, after a record cold winter, to start thinking about a move to warmer climes, but with my joints getting noisier, i do believe i’m serious this time - however - are there areas of coastal NC as beautiful to paddle as the marshes of CC ? - i admit, the Cape, with it’s highly restrictive laws concerning water access, is not always fantastic - too many spots you can see that would be excellent to paddle, but can only be accessed by a launch from a craft at sea - being a decoy collector, i’m aware of the various sounds along the inner coastal areas of VA and NC, but do they have the salt grass marshes, etc, that are so darn peaceful ? i have a sea kayak, but try to stay within more protected water - just curious - thanks - john
Ssshhhhhhhh!
yes
it’s great
come on down
but shut up.
admittedly…
I live in NC. The area around Beaufort/Atlantic Beach/Pine Knoll Shores is about as beautiful a place as you will ever go. Lots of water to paddle.
Many many many rivers and lakes in coastal and central NC. Some of the best white water is in the mountains/Piedmont (I’m told).
I vote NC! Go Wolfpack!
P
HELL YEAH
Hell yeah dude NC is Awesome!! Bear Island and Shackleford Banks are great and there are a hundred other places!!
Want me to right a book on …
where I would rather paddle?
Before I lived in NC, I lived in Plymouth, so I have had ample opportunity to paddle both places.
The cape has a bunch of good places, but you can’t beat the estuaries and marshes in NC for their beauty, quantity, and quality.
If you are a decoy collector, Currituck sound on the outer banks is must place for you to stop.
One day when we were paddling there we actually found seveal decoys that were in a pile of flotsam, washed up on a island.
There is a town named Duck, mainly becuse that particular area has the greatest duck and geese hunting on the east coast. Needless to say there are a bunch of places to buy hand carved decoys, and antique ones as well.
You could live here all your life and with the back side of the outer banks and then on down to SC you could never cover all the marshes.
Many of them are National Wildlife refugees, and most of them have free put-ins, or a nominal fee.
You will see tons of shore birds, Prothonatary Warblers, Golden Eagles, river otters, and pourposes which come into the back water channels to catch fish.
Make sure you bring a GPS, since the larger esturaries have many channels, and they always look different at different tides.
Do some homework since there are a few industrial places that you will want to keep away from.
Take about a ten year vcation and come on down.
Cheers,
JackL
Bring Lobsters
When you come to the best place to paddle bring some lobsters with you. If you’re a serious decoy collector might want to check out the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum on Harkers Island and some of the nearby decoy shops.
plymouth
well, i’ll be darned - plymouth may have a lot of it’s residents (i live on clifford, across from the eel river )moving to NC, but i will be quiet about it !! - sounds like i won’t have any worries about places to paddle, and as far as decoys, i’ve set up at the various shows for years, easton mainly - i know a number of your collectors down there - - i’ll try to grab a couple of lobsters when i leave town =:-) !!
Are those swans still there?
What part of NC are you looking at?
We have been down here close to thirty years, and I would never go back except to visit the “die hards”.
Do a lot of research before you buy.
There are several places along the NC coast, (not the outer banks) that are industrialized which are not too desirable.
I am way at the other end of the state in the high country which has a lot of pluses. In mid winter we can cross county ski on a three foot snow pack one day, and then the next day drive two hours down to Charlotte and paddle on one of the lakes.
Cheers,
JackL
let me answer that in three words - - -
carolina, carolina, carolina.
i live in Edenton, NC ... about an hour inland from the coast and trust me when i tell you you could paddle all this the rest of your ligfe and not do it all. the coast is awsome at Oregon, Hatteras and Bogue Inlet, the marshes go on forever, the rivers are too numerous to count and the Albemarle Sound presents untold opportunities. there are places i've been paddling for 9 years now and have never seen another boat of any kind. can you say wilderness?
come and paddle .. you'll never want to leave. but don't tell anyone !!!!! it's a well kept secret.
if you're of a mind to come down for a look, give me a holler ... and i'll take you to some of my favorite paddling haunts to give you an idea what's here.
Liv2pdl
You have no idea what a gift you just got. Dan taught me much of what I know, his knowledge of the area is spectacular, and he’s a wonderful guy if you can get past his wierd sense of humor . May join you if I can.
carolina
i grew up in north carolina, and the coast there is sensational. never spent much time in the northeast but i know i’ll return to ol’ nc as soon as i jettison the traveling bug i’ve been carrying for 8 years now. go 'heels (wolfpack sucks)!!!
Definetly the Carolinas
I’m a Cape cod native and the Place is really getting used and abused. seems that after the Clintons hung out here every knucklehead with a few mil in his pocket is throwing up a trophy summer place and the towns in the boston area are emptying out to move here creating a traffic nightmare… well You get the picture
AtswhutAHMtalkinbout
SSSHHHHHHH!!!
WOW !!
i thought i’d get a variety of replys, but 12 - 0 is pretty convincing ! i really appreciate everything posted, and very much appreciate the very kind offer - i hope to fly down for a long w/e for a look around - have some friends who just moved to tha emerald isle area - is that a good jump off spot ?
re-the swans - as i posted last fall, i had a very close encounted with ol’ genghis swan himself - this creature killed a dog and almost drowned a young boy after capsizing his canoe last year, but they keep protecting him - they’ve allowed a most beautiful small river (the eel)to become unusable because of his presence
You think you have troubles
One of my many daughters went to state, and another one went to Carolina.
Cheers,
JackL
You’ve all got it wrong:
Duke rules!
It is automatic,
if you can afford Duke, you can afford carbon-kevlar!
Cheers,
JackL
agree
i always like to spend a day on the cape every week, and you sure are correct - to me, woods hole and it’s homes represent the old cape - as beautiful as places like osterville, etc, are, the homes being built there just don’t belong - they fit palm beach a bit more - and driving rt28 !!
Big time hog farming
is the only industry they have really got down in Eastern NC. Not the cleanest industry either! Billions of gallons of hog manure washed into the rivers and sounds of Eastern NC after Hurricane Floyd overflowed all of the hog lagoons in this state. I have heard from an old college buddy who is a marine biologist in NC that the Albemarle and Pamlico sounds are very polluted from all of this hog waste.
The NC government won’t do anything to make the hog industry clean up its act because it is big business down there, and many in the State government including governor Jim Hunt, and former US. Senator Jesse Helms have ownership interests in these Hog Farms, and are making millions of $$$ off of the pork industry.
Not exactly a great place for paddling if you ask me. It is really a shame too because this used to be a great place. I used to swim and wind surf in the Pamlico sound when we went to the outer banks when I was a kid back in the 70s and 80s. I sure would not swim in it now!